Bulbshare Survey App Review: Pros, Cons and Payouts
If you’re looking for a small boost to your income, apps are often one of the easiest ways to do it. You can dip in and out, there’s no commitment, and you don’t need any specialist skills. Today, I’m sharing my honest experience of Bulbshare, how it works, and how much you can realistically expect to earn.
Bulbshare review
Bulbshare doesn’t pay too badly considering the effort involved, but the earning opportunities aren’t consistent enough to rely on. It’s best used alongside other apps rather than as your main earner.
Pros
- Surveys pay well
- You can earn more from mystery shopping
Cons
- Weekly earnings are fairly limited
- The app crashes more than it should
I’ve reviewed a lot of survey and mystery shopping apps over the years, with varying degrees of success. Bulbshare, I’ve been using it for several years, but I’ve only just got around to writing my review. Yes, I’m that busy! So let’s see what it’s all about.
What is Bulbshare?
Bulbshare is an app that allows users to share their opinions and insights on various topics in return for payment. It’s often used by brands and organizations to engage with their audience, gather feedback, and conduct market research.
How does it work?
Creating an account will take just a few minutes and then it’s time to join some ‘Channels’. These are basically subsections of Bulbshare which cover different topics.
For example, I’m a member of the Food and Drink Channel, Pawspectives UK (for pet owners), The Chocolate Club and many more. The more you belong to, the more you can earn. Most of these channels, anybody can join, but in some cases you may need to answer a few questions before you’re accepted.
As a member of a channel, Bulbshare will send you briefs (and I’m not talking about pants). Most briefs are quite short, between 5 and 10 minutes. Some will pay, some won’t. If a brief doesn’t pay, it will usually lead to one that does.
Brief notifications are usually sent to you by push message to your phone, but they are also occasionally sent by email.
Ways to earn
The vast majority of briefs are just short surveys, which require you to share your opinion on a topic. These are mainly tick boxes with the odd short sentences needed here and there. Some of these surveys may require you to record a short video – in some cases, it’s optional. If a video is required, they usually pay slightly more.
Away from short surveys, you might be asked to go on a mystery shop. What’s involved depends on the brief, but you may have to record videos or just take photos. Although these briefs are a little more involved, they pay far more.
Finally, Bulbshare has offered the occasional online interview. This involves speaking to a researcher over a webcam. Although this can be a little nerve-wracking for some, they do pay very well.
Any downsides?
In general, this is a very good app. However, it does have the tendency to crash. I’ll get a notification that a brief is available, and when I click it, I’ll be taken to the app, and it will crash immediately.
Payment time is a little hit-and-miss and impossible to keep track of. Some payments take a few hours and some can take over a week. I really have no idea what brief the money is for. There is a notification part of the app, but it’s very difficult to keep track of.
How much can you earn?
The majority of briefs pay between 50 pence and £1. Slightly longer briefs of 15 minutes will usually pay £2. If you complete a mystery shopping trip, you should earn around £15.
If you get the chance to complete an online interview, I have seen these pay as much as £60 for one hour.
How are you paid?
Payment is sent to you through PayPal. However, you can’t build up a balance. The money is sent to you per task, so it’s possible to receive several £1 payments in quick succession.
How long it takes to receive your money is a different matter. I’ve had payment show in my PayPal account within a matter of hours and it’s also taken several weeks.
What other people say
Bulbshare doesn’t appear on Trustpilot but there are reviews on the Apple and Google Play stores, with both scoring it with an excess of 4 out of 5.
My Bulbshare review conclusion
Bulbshare is a decent little money-making app. The pay is fair for the effort involved, and the higher-paying briefs can be genuinely worthwhile. Yes, the app is buggy and payments can be confusing, but it’s not bad enough to put me off using it.
Just don’t expect big money. On its own, Bulbshare won’t move the needle much. Used alongside other survey and mystery shopping apps, though, it’s a solid addition.
